


for me, there's you (and nobody else)

by marcel



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Chinguline, M/M, everyone is in choir au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 23:30:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6879904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcel/pseuds/marcel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The annual choir retreat seems like fun until Jongdae's friends decide that it's the perfect opportunity to get him and his crush together - and the magic mountain legend is another problem entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	for me, there's you (and nobody else)

**Author's Note:**

> as soon as i saw this prompt i knew i couldnt rest until i had done it and here we are almost 20k later :'| i hope the prompter likes this, bc i had a lot of fun writing it!!!
> 
> (Prompt #45)

Jongdae yawns for what feels like the tenth time in as many minutes. "Is the bus moving yet?"

"No," Baekhyun sighs from the seat in front of him, turned around so he can lean over the back. "Now's the time to catch a nap if you get car-sick, I guess."

Beside him, Kyungsoo rubs his eyes tiredly. "I'll always fondly remember the days when I thought waking up at seven-thirty was early," he says wistfully.

"Hey, come on now," Baekhyun says, nudging his shoulder. "The full day in transit is just part of the fun!"

"Not," Chanyeol mumbles, bleary-eyed and half asleep against the window beside Jongdae. They're heading out pretty early so that the day-long bus ride gets them to their destination some time before midnight. Still, Jongdae tries to stifle his next yawn. He's been looking forward to this trip for ages.

The choir takes a retreat once a year. All the members excused from classes for a few days to head out to some summer horse ranch in the wilderness and learn a few new pieces. Of course, their trip happens in fall, so most of the horses are on vacation, but having the retreat early in the school year encourages team-bonding among all the choir members, no matter how new or experienced they are - or at least, that's what the choir director, Mr Lee, told them while handing out permission slips.

They'd also all gotten a packet of sheet music for songs they'd be learning on the retreat, and although it's currently sitting at the very bottom of Jongdae's backpack, he can't wait to take a real look at it. An unfortunately timed flu virus forced Jongdae to stay home during last year's retreat, and while he did get a detailed rundown from Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, actually attending the trip this year is obviously going to be a better experience.

Baekhyun breaks him out of his thoughts with a sigh. "Sorry, Jongdae, Chanyeol's right. I lied earlier when I said _'the fun starts now'_."

Jongdae snorts. "It's okay. Got any idea on when it actually does start?"

"Tonight, when we get beds," Chanyeol says sleepily. Baekhyun nods in agreement.

"It'll be great, though, I swear. Last year was awesome, and this year will be even better."

"Why's that?" Jongdae asks.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Because you're here for it, duh."

Jongdae can't help grinning, giddiness welling up inside him. A long bus ride out, a few days of sectional practice and vocal workshops, then a long bus ride back - and all with his best friends, no homework, and minimal supervision. There's staff at the ranch, but they usually work with younger kids, not a bunch of teenagers who aren't exactly into arts n' crafts or scavenger hunts. The only adult coming along with them is Mr Lee, and Chanyeol said that last year he let them have a whole day of free time instead of attending the workshops they were supposed to be doing. Baekhyun also said that Mr Lee spend said day wandering the woods around the ranch and laughing to himself, but Baekhyun is under the impression that Mr Lee is some sort of Wolfman, so Jongdae doesn't give him as much credit.

Just when they've all started to get a little restless in their seats, Mr Lee stands up at the front of the bus to greet them. "I hope you're all feeling good this morning," he says with a grin. He gets a quiet, sleepy rumble of assent in return. "Alright, well. I hate to start the trip with bad news, but something's come up." He pauses to make sure everyone is really listening before continuing. "Taeyeon has tonsilitis, and won't be joining us."

Jongdae's stomach sinks. Taeyeon is president of the choir club, she knows all their pieces back to front before they even get the sheet music, and she takes the lead so easily - it's weird to even think about the choir going anywhere without her. The rest of the members seem to feel the same way, an uneasy murmur rising.

"But who will tell us we're sharp in the middle of _Pie Jesu_?" Baekhyun laments, and Kyungsoo pinches his arm.

"Luckily, there's some good news too," Mr Lee adds. "In Taeyeon's stead, we'll be joined by someone you probably all know." He steps back as someone else boards the bus. Jongdae's heart speeds up, barely holding back an embarrassing gasp when he sees who it is. "Your student council president--"

"Kim Junmyeon," the newcomer introduces himself, giving a little wave in greeting. "Since Taeyeon and I are in student council together, she asked me if I could go with you guys on your trip, and fill her in when we get back. She gave me about a hundred spreadsheets to complete, so I might need some help," he says with a little laugh. Jongdae's heart jumps again in his chest. "Anyway. I hope you won't mind me coming along. I'm excited to hear what you guys can do."

Everyone gives him a quiet clap as he sits down, taking the seat beside Minho, a bass, near the front of the bus. Minho slings his arm over Junmyeon's shoulders, and Jongdae watches him lean into it and smile, just barely managing to tear his gaze away when the bus starts to move.

"--I wouldn't worry too much," Chanyeol is saying, leaning over the back of their seat to talk to Joohyun, the soprano sitting behind them. Another girl, Yerim, is asleep on her shoulder. "Taeyeon is tough, I'm sure tonsillitis won't keep her down for long."

"I just hope she's alright," Joohyun says with a frown. "It must be pretty bad for her to want to stay home."

"Even if she did come, she probably can't do much singing," Jongdae says. "I mean, that's the main reason I couldn't go on last year's trip."

"That, and you would've infected the whole choir with the flu," Kyungsoo adds.

Chanyeol makes a face, rubbing his throat. "Maybe it's better that Taeyeon stayed home, then."

Baekhyun sighs and leans forward, peeking over the other seats to squint at the front of the bus. "Only Taeyeon would send the _president_ of student council to do her bidding," he says, shaking his head. "I mean, go big or go home, I guess, but this feels like abuse of power to me."

Jongdae hums, not paying much attention - having followed Baekhyun's gaze right back to Junmyeon. He's laughing at something Minho is waving his arms about, his smile as handsome as ever. "Could be worse," Jongdae mumbles.

Baekhyun is silent for a long moment. Jongdae glances at him and feels his stomach drop, watching his eyes flick between him and Junmyeon as a grin spreads over his face. "You know, you're right," he says before Jongdae can protest, waggling his eyebrows. "Maybe this is more fortunate than we thought."

Chanyeol snickers, and Jongdae feels his cheeks turning pink. "Baek, come on--"

"What?" Baekhyun says, feigning innocence while also trying not to laugh. "I'm just saying, this could be a great opportunity for you and Junmyeon to get to know each other!"

"We _do_ know each other," Jongdae huffs, crossing his arms and slumping a little. He knows Junmyeon is president of student council, top of most of his classes, and swim team captain; he knows he tutors ninth graders after school and started a literature circle in the library; he knows he has a dog and a car and the nicest smile Jongdae has ever seen. 

Junmyeon knows... that he's in choir. Maybe.

"I mean _really_ get to know each other," Baekhyun sighs. "Or at least let him know about the huge crush you have on him--"

Jongdae lunges forward to cover Baekhyun's mouth, but Baekhyun slips down in his seat to avoid him, snickering as he peeks over the back.

"Say it louder, why don't you," Jongdae grumbles, face red as he glances once more toward the front of the bus.

"I'm just trying to get the ball rolling," Baekhyun says haughtily. "Nothing's ever going to happen if you don't make a move."

"I know that. I just don't need you making the moves for me."

"I'm only doing it because I know you never will!"

"I can't just--" Jongdae cuts himself off with a sigh. "You make it sound like it's easy." He's tried to talk to Junmyeon before, but he never gets very far past small talk. Jongdae needs him to stay in one place long enough for him to think of something cool and interesting to say, but Junmyeon is always doing something, or on his way to something, or busy talking and laughing with someone else.

"Cut it out," Kyungsoo says, stopping Baekhyun in the middle of a deep breath. "The last thing we need is the student council president coming back here to ask why you're shouting." Baekhyun deflates with a pout.

"Don't stress yourself out about it," Chanyeol says, patting Jongdae's shoulder. "We're gonna be out in the wilderness, and trust me, there's not gonna be much to do other than talk to each other. I'm sure you'll get a chance to talk to Junmyeon."

Jongdae sticks his tongue out at Baekhyun. "Thanks, Yeol. I'm glad _someone_ supports me like a real friend."

"Yeah, just you wait," Baekhyun says, making a face at Chanyeol. "Soon enough you'll be on my side with this. Kyungsoo, you're with me, right?"

"I am barely listening to any of you," Kyungsoo says, turning a page in his book.

The bus ride takes practically the whole day. When the initial excitement wears off, the four of them spend most of it quietly, until, two rest stops and one sunset later, the bus passes through the wooden arch that marks the entrance to the ranch. Jongdae perks up immediately. He peers curiously out the window, but he can't see through the thick trees bracketing the road.

Soon enough, the bus pulls into a parking lot and the morning's excitement gradually comes back into the air. The whole choir hops off the bus with backpacks and sleeping bags in hand, gravel crunching under their feet. It's already gotten dark out, but the ranch's main lodge is only a short walk away - bright porch lights and warm-lit windows make it hard to miss. Mr Lee ducks inside and returns a minute later with a set of keys, and leads the way down to the cabins.

There's eight in total, four on each side with a path down the middle. They all look nearly identical, save for the numbers on their doors; each has a front window and a short set of steps leading up to it, with a little porch outside the door that's protected by the roof overhang. All of them seem well taken care of, though, and Jongdae puts away his worries about bugs and leaks.

The path between the cabins leads in two directions - at one end, the way they entered from, the main lodge is in view, and if Jongdae squints he can see the dark shape of a barn a little further away. At the other end, the path seems to lead directly into the forest. There's woods surrounding the whole ranch, but the trees seem to have crept up on the cabins, some of the longer branches brushing across their roofs when the wind blows. Even at the very edge of the woods where the path disappears, it looks dark and deep. Jongdae makes himself look away before he thinks too hard about it.

The choir stops in the middle of the path between the cabins, and Mr Lee brings out his attendance sheet to split them up and hand out the keys. Baekhyun heads up to grab theirs - they decided rooming arrangements something like two full weeks before, but Chanyeol still grabs Kyungsoo and Jongdae's arms like he's calling dibs, just in case.

Jongdae slips out of his grasp just in time to see Junmyeon getting beckoned over by Minho. "We have room for you in ours," Minho's saying, tugging Junmyeon's arm, and they follow a couple other boys towards the closest cabin.

Jongdae watches them until Kyungsoo taps his shoulder, urging him along. Baekhyun is already at the door of the second cabin in the row, with Chanyeol hopping up and down beside him. He waits until the other two are climbing the steps before turning the key in the lock, and the hinges creak loudly when he throws the door open.

"Home sweet home," he announces, and takes a flying leap at one of the two bunk beds set up inside. There isn't much else besides the bunk beds, actually, except some coat hooks and a small doormat. Jongdae kicks off his shoes on it as Baekhyun scrambles up to the top bunk.

" _Hah_ ," he yells triumphantly. "Yeol, quick, get the other top one!"

"Bad idea," Kyungsoo says, throwing his backpack up to the empty top bunk before Chanyeol can get close. "Remember last year? When you fell off?"

Chanyeol pouts a little, but tosses his own bag on the bottom bunk without complaint. Jongdae sets his down on the bunk below Baekhyun's, and they all set about finding pajamas and toothbrushes.

Baekhyun leads the way back to the main lodge, showing Jongdae the way to the dining hall and rehearsal rooms while they wait for the bathroom sinks to be free. Chanyeol insists on showering in one of the tiny stalls around the corner, and takes long enough that the four of them are the last ones to leave.

Jongdae misses the lodge's warm lights as soon as they step outside into the dark again. There's no streetlights or glowing signs out here, just the stars in the sky and the light from the lodge behind them to guide the way back to their cabin. It doesn't help that they're so close to the treeline, and Baekhyun keeps slowing down to stare into the woods.

"Are you okay?" Jongdae asks a little impatiently, after Baekhyun falls behind for the third time.

Baekhyun gives him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm just thinking about what's out there."

"In the woods?" Chanyeol asks, glancing fearfully at the trees.

Kyungsoo glares at Baekhyun over his shoulder. "If you say anything about wendigos, I'll kill you."

"I wasn't going to," Baekhyun scoffs. "This isn't even the right climate for wendigos. Maybe werewolves, though."

Jongdae gives the trees an uneasy glance. Beside him, Chanyeol does the same, and clings to his arm with a whimper. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"You're such a baby," Baekhyun laughs, but they all jump when a branch snaps loudly somewhere in the trees, and all four of them hurry the rest of the way to their cabin.

Once they're inside, Jongdae is ready to turn out the lights and collapse in bed, but Baekhyun has other plans.

"It's that time again, friends," he says sagely, spreading his palms. "Time to partake in that most sacred retreat cabin ritual: truth or dare."

Chanyeol cheers. Kyungsoo crosses his arms.

"You can never think of dares that are legal," he sighs, frowning. "We should do truth or slap, like last time."

"Fine," Baekhyun huffs, but he takes a seat on the floor with a grin anyway.

"We played this every night last year," Chanyeol explains to Jongdae as the four of them sit in a circle. "Baek too two turns and asked stuff on your behalf."

Jongdae grimaces. "All awful things, I presume."

"Alright, it's getting late so we'll keep this quick," Baekhyun announces, clapping his hands together. "Here's the rules: we all get one turn. You choose someone, they choose truth or a hard-as-you-can two-finger slap on the arm." He rolls up one of his sleeves in demonstration. "Also, you get one chance to dodge a truth you don't want to answer and choose slap instead. Sound fair?"

"You go first," Chanyeol says, nudging Jongdae's arm.

Jongdae nudges him right back. "Okay, truth or slap?"

Chanyeol hums for a moment. "Truth."

"Baekhyun told me that last year you tried to bring your ferret along in your backpack, is that true?"

"It is," Chanyeol admits, barely batting an eye. "He had some separation anxiety for a while, but we're past it now."

"Bless his furry heart," Baekhyun says, struggling to hold back laughter.

Chanyeol glares at him. "My turn. Baekhyun."

"Truth," Baekhyun says with a grin. "Fire away."

"Do you _really_ think there's werewolves or whatever monsters in the woods?" Chanyeol asks, after a pause. "Like, honestly? Or were you just trying to scare us?"

"Trying to scare you, obviously," Baekhyun admits. "I don't think there's any werewolves, no. But that doesn't mean that there aren't any." He says the last part with a leer, and Chanyeol glances nervously at the dark window.

"Stop that," Kyungsoo chides, elbowing Baekhyun. "Jongdae, truth or slap?"

"Uh, truth," Jongdae says, and regrets it a little when Kyungsoo stares at him with furrowed brows for a long moment.

"What is your deepest, darkest fear?" Kyungsoo asks, straight-faced.

"That's a little much for round one," Chanyeol snickers.

"It's also not what I want to think about right before bed," Jongdae says, and rolls up his sleeve. "Sorry."

Kyungsoo shrugs. "Not a problem," he says, and gives Jongdae a light tap across his forearm. "You get a freebie, this time."

Baekhyun frowns at them, like he's upset at the lack of injury. "Lame. My turn." He points at Kyungsoo with a glint in his eye. "Truth or--"

"Slap," Kyungsoo cuts him off, already rolling up his sleeve. Baekhyun pouts but still smacks him hard enough to make him wince.

"You'd really rather get hit than let me ask you something?" He complains as they all stand up to get into bed. "I have so many good questions set aside just for this!"

"I know you do," Kyungsoo sighs, flicking the lights off before he climbs the ladder up to the top bunk. "Doesn't mean I want to answer them. Besides, Chanyeol hits harder than you do."

Jongdae stifles a laugh. Above him, Baekhyun makes an offended noise. "What happened to the good old days, when we'd lovingly quote X-Files back and forth?"

Kyungsoo hums sleepily. "After season ten, Chris Carter is dead to me."

Baekhyun gasps loudly, Chanyeol shushes him around a yawn, and Jongdae takes it as cue to stop listening. He pulls his blanket up around his ears, closes his eyes, and eventually drifts off to the soft sounds of Baekhyun and Kyungsoo whisper-arguing above his head.

\--

Their first real day at the ranch starts with breakfast in the dining hall, a wide room with food and tables enough to feed and seat two other choirs along with them. Jongdae picks up some fruit and toast and follows Baekhyun to a table beside the windows that show the grassy field between the lodge and the barn. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol follow them over, and bring with them Sehun and Jongin, two younger basses who joined at the beginning of the year. Jongdae hasn't spoken to them much before, being in the tenor section instead, and they look a little shy, but they laugh at Baekhyun's bad jokes, so Jongdae is sure they'll fit in well.

Once everyone is generally settled and comfortable, Jonghyun, the tenor section leader, wanders over to their table with Amber and Kibum in tow to relay the day's schedule. Jongdae has always admired him, from his powerful voice to how well he takes care of their whole section. He even pauses to ask Jongin and Sehun how they like the ranch so far.

"The whole point of the retreat is to make us all feel comfortable together," Jonghyun tells them with a kind smile. "Don't be afraid to ask about anything, okay?" He looks over at Jongdae as well. "This is your first time here too, right? What do you think?"

Jongdae nods, a little starstruck even after knowing him for more than a year. "It's been great. The cabins are really nice."

"Except for Baekhyun and Kyungsoo bickering the whole night," Chanyeol adds. The two of them send him matching glares.

Amber snorts, rolling her eyes. "Aw, just send them up Mount Crescent together. It'll sort them out."

"What's Mount Crescent?" Jongdae asks, and Jonghyun's eyes widen.

"You don't know?" He looks around their whole table in disbelief. "No one's told you about Mount Crescent yet?"

Jongdae glances around at his friends and sees them all looking about as confused as he feels. "I guess not?"

Beaming, Jonghyun wipes away what might be a real tear and pulls up a chair. "I'll do the honours, then."

"Are you serious," Kibum sighs. "I thought you got this out of your system last year."

"It's tradition!" Jonghyun insists. "Someone has to tell them, and I know you won't tell it properly."

"What exactly are you telling us?" Kyungsoo asks.

"About the magic mountain hidden in the woods," Kibum says with an eye roll.

"It's more than that," Jonghyun squawks indignantly. "Mount Crescent is legendary! It's the representation of a journey through hardship for true love!"

Jongdae furrows his brow as he looks back and forth between them. "So… is this a real mountain, or…?"

"No," Kibum says.

"Yes," Jonghyun yells.

"Jonghyun thinks it's real," Amber explains, stifling laughter. "Kibum thinks it's dumb."

"It's _not_ dumb," Jonghyun says with a huff. "Let me tell the story."

He sits up straighter and spreads his hands, taking a deep breath. "It's local legend," he starts, voice soft but serious. "Hundreds of years ago, two lovers from rival families would sneak out into the woods every night to be together. They both came from different ends, so they would search in the dark until they met up in the middle.

"One night, the crescent moon saw them both wandering in the dark woods and, curious, lit up a path to lead them to each other. When it saw them reunite, the moon thought it so beautiful that it rose a mountain in the middle of the forest, so that they would always be able to find each other there and never get lost alone in the trees. So every night from then on, the two lovers would meet up at the top of the mountain.

"Eventually they decided that being forced apart during the day was too much to bear, and they built a house on the mountaintop so that they would stay there forever. But the crescent moon saw, at the edges of the forest, their two families blaming each other for the disappearance of the two lovers, and it knew that if they were found they would be torn apart. And so the moon cast a spell on the mountain, hiding it from view so that it could only be found by lovers, and only lovers who believed in the mountain would find the path appearing under their feet.

"The two families set off into the woods, but never found anything, and the two lovers were able to live happily together until they died - and when the crescent moon saw their spirits rising apart from one another, it cast one last spell, turning the two lovers into stars in the sky so they could look after the mountain together forever."

Jonghyun pauses there to grin around the table, pleased by the silence he's stunned them into. "And so," he says, quieter, so they all have to lean in a little to hear him, "every year on this trip, people go looking for Mount Crescent, and every year two people come back having made it to the top."

"And then what?" Jongin asks, eyes wide with awe.

"And then the tradition is fulfilled," Jonghyun says with a grin. "If you get to the top of Mount Crescent with someone you love, you'll be together forever."

There's a mystified moment of silence, broken only by the chatter around them.

"Sounds fake," Kyungsoo says.

Jonghyun opens his mouth to argue but Mr Lee chooses then to announce that it's time to start sectionals, and everyone in the dining hall starts to get up. Kibum taps Jonghyun's shoulder and heads off toward the exit with Amber.

"Ask Minseok and Luhan about it if you don't believe me," Jonghyun says as he stands up to leave.

"They're those lovey-dovey tenors, right?" Chanyeol calls after him. "Why them?"

"What do you think made them so lovey-dovey?" Jonghyun laughs over his shoulder. "They're the ones who found the mountaintop last year."

Jongdae watches him go, not sure how to feel. Magic and legends? Seems like a little much, but… He glances at Baekhyun, about to ask his opinion, but Baekhyun very nearly vaults over their table to follow Jonghyun, his eyes lit up with curiosity. Jongdae sighs after him and trails behind Chanyeol and Kyungsoo as they head outside.

"What do you guys think?" he asks once they're out on the lawn. "The mountain, the legend… Jonghyun seemed really into the story."

"Yeah, but there's no way that could be real," Kyungsoo says. "Magic doesn't exist."

"Okay, but it's cute, right?" Chanyeol laughs. "A magical love mountain? And Minseok and Luhan have probably been dating for something close to a year, so it adds up. What if it's really true?"

They have to split up then, the basses going one way and Jongdae jogging to catch up with the rest of the tenors. It's nice out, the sun high in the sky, so the whole section sits in the grass field outside the lodge to take out their music. Jonghyun and Kibum take charge, leading them through a warm-up.

Junmyeon joins them too, sitting a little ways away and making Jongdae do a double-take when he notices. He has a clipboard and pen with him - probably for writing extensive notes for Taeyeon, knowing her - but as the tenors finish warming up and get into the real music, Jongdae never sees him write anything down. Not that he's staring, or anything.

When they switch songs, Baekhyun crawls over to sit beside Jongdae while everyone flips through their music. "Hey. How's Junmyeon doing?"

"What?" Jongdae gives him a weird look, flipping through pages in his music folder. "I don't know, we haven't talked."

Baekhyun hums, leaning back on his palms. "Really? I thought you were sending, like, brainwave messages. The way you were staring, I mean."

Jongdae feels his cheeks flush red. "I wasn't staring!"

"If you say so," Baekhyun sing-songs, and he laughs when Jongdae covers his face in embarrassment. "Aw, come on! You two could totally work if you would just make a move. Hey, maybe it could be you guys this year."

Curiosity gets the better of him for a moment, and Jongdae drops his hands to raise an eyebrow at Baekhyun. "What do you mean, it could be us?"

Baekhyun leans in with a smirk to whisper dramatically in his ear. "The ones that find Mount Crescent and fall in love forever!"

Jongdae jerks away, already feeling his face heating up again. "What? No way, we-- he doesn't even--"

But Baekhyun is looking down at his sheet music and singing over him with the rest of the tenors. Jongdae blushes deeper and hurriedly flips to the right page.

What an idea, him and Junmyeon climbing the magic love mountain. It's pretty dumb - Junmyeon barely knows him, and besides, he's so… cool and responsible, he probably doesn't care about dumb love magic on a mountain that only _maybe_ exists. Even if he did, why would he ever want to find Mount Crescent with Jongdae, of all people?

When sectional ends an hour or so later, everyone stays outside to bask in the sunshine. Jongdae watches Junmyeon stand up to leave, probably headed off to observe another section, then looks away, berating himself for staring. Again.

The basses join them in the field a minute later, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol immediately flopping down in the grass with him and Baekhyun. Sehun and Jongin come too, but sit a little further away with another tenor, Taemin.

Jongdae tries to relax and enjoy the sun, but he can see out of the corner of his eye that Baekhyun keeps glancing at him with an amused look on his face. When he clears his throat to address the group, Jongdae dreads what's about to come out of his mouth.

"So," Baekhyun starts, innocently enough. "Mount Crescent, huh?"

"Don't," Jongdae whines, smacking him in the arm. Baekhyun just laughs and scoots out of his reach.

Kyungsoo sits up with a frown. "Did you interrogate Jonghyun about this?"

"I asked him a few in-depth questions," Baekhyun says loftily. "All of which he was able to answer. The legend has been told in this area for longer than you'd think."

"Have we determined whether or not it's a real mountain?" Chanyeol asks, rolling onto his back with an arm thrown over his eyes. "That's a good place to start."

"It's real," Baekhyun says with a nod. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes.

"Isn't there an easy way to debunk this?" Jongdae says quickly, glancing between the two of them. "I mean, a whole mountain can't be that hard to find, right?"

"Wrong," Kyungsoo deadpans. "It's not on any map of this area. I've looked. More than once."

"The whole point is that it's not easy to find," Baekhyun huffs. "It's _magic_."

"I don't believe in magic."

Baekhyun scoffs. "You believe in aliens, but not magic?"

"Aliens are real, and there's proof," Kyungsoo says testily. "Magic is made up, and so is Mount Crescent. It's a _legend_ , Baekhyun."

Baekhyun huffs exasperatedly. "It's _real_. The legend is just the backstory for the yearly tradition." He sits up a little straighter and puts on a more serious voice. "Every year, we go on this trip, come to this place, use these cabins, and every year, people go looking for Mount Crescent, and--"

"You can't hide a mountain in the middle of a forest," Kyungsoo says flatly. "It's probably just a steep hill - and that's if it exists at all, which it _doesn't_."

"It does!" Baekhyun insists, breaking character. He turns to Jongdae with his arms crossed, scowling. "Look, some people believe, some don't--" He pauses to make a face in Kyungsoo's general direction. "--but either way, two people have found it every year. That's not something you can make up."

"Okay, but," Jongdae starts, "if Minseok and Luhan found it, why didn't they just show everyone else where it is?"

"That's not how it works," Baekhyun says, shaking his head. "In the legend, the moon made it so only lovers could find the mountain. You have to search with someone you really care about, or you'll never find it. Besides, it only happens once a year. The first couple to climb the mountain and confess their love at the top--"

"--gets the magical forever love," Chanyeol finishes around a yawn. "Man, for some magic legend mountain, there sure are a lot of terms and conditions. Like, do you have to say I-love-yous out loud, or does just getting there make the forever love happen?"

"What if somebody already found it like a month ago," Kyungsoo murmurs. "Is all the magic used up for this year or can we still have some?"

"Or, wait, hear me out, if a tree falls in the forest--"

"Okay, okay, okay," Baekhyun cuts them off, waving his hand with a scowl. "I don't have all the answers. All I know is that there's a legend, and a mountain, and _someone_ 's gonna find it before we go home."

"All _I_ know is that you're going to be proven wrong before we go home," Kyungsoo sighs, and Baekhyun looks ready to scream.

The two of them bicker back and forth all day, all the way through lunch and their free time and halfway into dinner, until Chanyeol takes initiative and moves to a different table with Kyungsoo so he and Baekhyun can cool off.

It seems like Baekhyun is just going to fume silently for a while, so Jongdae lets his eyes wander around the dining hall while he pokes at his pasta. Unsurprisingly, he finds himself staring at Junmyeon from across the room. Again.

He's sitting with Minho, as usual, talking animatedly about something. Jongdae wishes he could hear, or maybe just read his lips - but then he's staring at Junmyeon's mouth from across the room, and that's even worse, so he makes himself look away before someone notices.

Baekhyun, of course, is already watching him with a smirk.

"Don't start," Jongdae says, hoping his face isn't as red as it feels.

"I'm not," Baekhyun says, then nudges his arm. "I just want to say, I'm serious about you two finding Mount Crescent."

"I'm serious about not talking about this with you," Jongdae says.

"Aw, come on."

"No! I don't understand why you're so obsessed with the idea of--" He glances over at Junmyeon again and finds him, somehow, looking right back. Junmyeon seems to realize that they've locked eyes and smiles at him before shifting his gaze somewhere else. Jongdae feels his heart stutter in his chest before he makes himself look away too, and tries his best to unstick the words caught in his throat. "Of. Of us. With the… mountain. Finding the mountain."

Baekhyun stares at him for a moment, then claps him on the shoulder. "Good talk," he says, as Jongdae slumps over the table to hide his red face. "I feel like we're really getting somewhere with this."

They head back to the cabin soon after. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun have cooled off enough to be civil with each other, and the rest of the night passes almost without incident, until Baekhyun demands another game of truth or slap before bed.

"Baekhyun," Jongdae says around a yawn, "truth or slap? Be fast, I'm getting tired."

"Slap, then," he says, holding out his arm. Jongdae flings his hand out and gives him a light smack. "Oh, come on. You can do better than that."

"I can do it for you, if you want," Chanyeol offers, still rubbing his wrist where he'd been hit earlier.

Jongdae shakes his head. "Consider yourself lucky. It's your turn."

"Fine. Jongdae," Baekhyun shouts, pointing at him with a flourish. "Truth or slap?"

Jongdae takes a longing glance at his bed and sighs. Neither option seems to let him go to sleep sooner. "Truth."

Baekhyun takes a deep breath, like he's been holding his question in all day. "Do you or do you not want to find Mount Crescent with Junmyeon?"

"I-- Why are you still on about that?" Jongdae whines. "Let me deal with my unrequited feelings in peace."

"They might not be!" Baekhyun insists. "They certainly wouldn't be if you got to the top."

Jongdae looks to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol for help, but both of them are muffling laughter into their hands. He frowns at them and turns back to Baekhyun with a huff. "Is that the only reason you want me and Junmyeon to get together? So we'll find the mountain for you?"

“Pfft, what?” Baekhyun laughs, waving his hand like it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. “No way! How could you think I would exploit you like that? I’m _hurt_.” He clutches his chest with a dramatic frown, then glances up at Jongdae. “But that’s part of it, yeah.”

Chanyeol laughs so hard he nearly chokes. Jongdae punches him in the arm and turns to swing at Baekhyun, too. “You’re the _worst_.”

“I’m helping you out, aren’t I?” Baekhyun says with a pout, swatting him away. “Look, just ask him to take a walk with you before lights out tomorrow. You guys can have some alone time in the woods.” Jongdae gives him a skeptical look, but Baekhyun just grins. “Come on, it’ll be romantic! And if you _happen_ to find Mount Crescent while you’re at it, then great! Win-win, right?”

“I can’t,” Jongdae huffs. “I don't know why you think I can just-- go up and suggest something like that, when we barely even talk. Suddenly asking him to join me on some moonlit walk into the woods, or whatever-- it’ll make things weird.”

Baekhyun sighs heavily. “Fine, be boring. I’ll find the mountaintop myself.”

"I thought you had to search with someone you love," Kyungsoo deadpans.

Baekhyun whirls around to argue, but Chanyeol gets between them before he can start. "Okay! Bed time, let's go!"

They both grumble their way up to their bunks, and Chanyeol turns out the lights with a relieved sigh.

Jongdae lies down with Jonghyun and Baekhyun's words from earlier swirling around his mind - _you have to search with someone you really care about, or you'll never find it._ He cares about Junmyeon, sure, but it's probably not mutual. Besides, the idea of magic forever love is… nice, but can something like that really exist?

He imagines, for a moment, himself and Junmyeon coming into a clearing in the woods, looking out over a cliff, feeling a rush of - something - magic--

Feeling his cheeks flush, Jongdae pushes the thought away and rolls over. Jonghyun can tell a good story, but Kyungsoo is right. He isn't going to go hunt around in the dark woods for some mountain that may or may not exist, and even if he did, Junmyeon certainly wouldn't go with him.

\--

Jongdae startles awake only a couple hours later, but the cabin is quiet and he's not sure what woke him. He holds his breath and listens to the silence for a few seconds, nothing seeming amiss - maybe it was something outside, a branch snapping or even just the wood of the cabin creaking? Just when he's about to roll over and close his eyes again, he hears whispering across the room.

"See? They're still asleep, it's fine," Baekhyun murmurs. Jongdae squints into the dark and sees Baekhyun's vague outline standing on tiptoe beside the other bunk bed, peeking over the top.

He hears Kyungsoo huff quietly, and some rustling as he sits up. "Warn me next time you're gonna put your cold fingers near me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Are you coming?"

"Baek, it's like two in the morning," Kyungsoo sighs. "Why do you want to go now?"

" _Because_ it's two in the morning!" Baekhyun insists. "No one else will be looking. We'll have the whole woods to ourselves!"

"Yeah ourselves and the… what did you say earlier? Werewolves?"

"I was joking. Come on, it'll be fun. Please?"

There's a few more seconds of silence, then a long sigh. Jongdae hears the other bunk bed creak a little as Kyungsoo climbs down the ladder, then soft shuffling as he and Baekhyun slip their shoes on before sneaking quietly out the door.

Jongdae stays put, more dumbstruck than anything. He had kind of hoped they were playing a joke, but they really did just leave the cabin at two a.m. to go look for Mount Crescent in the woods. Christ.

He thinks about just going back to sleep, but decides against it. He should probably stay up to make sure they get back okay, right? So he sits up and rubs his eyes and settles in to wait.

Some time passes - could be ten minutes, could be an hour - before Jongdae properly worries himself into jittery uneasiness. It's dark enough outside even without being in the middle of the forest, where the dense trees surely block out what faint starlight there is. If Baekhyun and Kyungsoo lose their way, they could be stuck in the woods until morning, or longer.

After that thought, it isn't hard to make up his mind and quietly get up to put his shoes on. He picks up his jacket and glances at Chanyeol, still fast asleep in his bunk. He better be having some great dreams, Jongdae sighs to himself, then slips out the door and closes it silently behind him.

The whole ranch is dark and quiet, and it's a little too cold for just his thin windbreaker. He sneaks down the front steps of the cabin and is about to head towards the closest gap in the trees when the shadows around him are suddenly lit up.

He whips around to see someone holding up a flashlight, pointed directly at him. Jongdae gulps, shielding his eyes from the bright beam. If it's a staff member, he's screwed - there's no way 'sneaking out into the woods in the middle of the night' isn't on the list of Things That Get You Sent Home - but the voice that calls out to him is… familiar?

"Jongdae? Is that you?"

Jongdae drops his hand. "J-Junmyeon?"

Junmyeon lowers the flashlight, frowning at him. "What are you doing out here?"

It crosses Jongdae's mind to come up with an excuse, say he was sleepwalking or something, but he can't bring himself to lie to Junmyeon. "I-it's Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, they went into the woods and they aren't back yet. I was going to, uh... go look for them."

Junmyeon points the flashlight towards the trees, sweeping back and forth. "How long have they been gone?"

"I don't know. They probably got lost,” Jongdae tries, weakly. “I’ll find them and bring them back to the cabin, I promise. Just-- please, don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t,” Junmyeon says easily. He shines the light around until he finds the path leading into the woods. “They would've gone in through there, I think.”

Jongdae gives him a confused look. “W-wait, you’re not going to turn me in?”

Junmyeon raises an eyebrow at him. “No…? Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m out of bed,” Jongdae says slowly, carefully watching Junmyeon’s face, “and about to go searching in the woods for my two idiot friends?” Maybe he’s just tired, and hasn’t realized yet that Jongdae is breaking nearly all of the rules.

Junmyeon, however, just shrugs. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” he says, grinning, and beckons for Jongdae to follow him toward the trees. “Come on, let’s go find them.”

He gets a couple steps ahead before Jongdae remembers how to make his feet move. “Wait, you’re--? What?”

“I said, let’s go find them,” Junmyeon repeats, looking back at him with a smile. Jongdae takes a moment to stare after him in disbelief, then hurries to catch up and grabs Junmyeon’s arm, making him pause just before the treeline.

“Y-you don’t have to come with me,” Jongdae stutters out, looking back at the cabins. “I can go alone. I don’t want you to get in trouble if we get caught--”

“So let’s not get caught,” Junmyeon laughs, slipping out of Jongdae’s grip, but Jongdae huffs and grabs his hand instead.

“I’m serious,” he insists, more than a little exasperated.

Junmyeon’s grin fades a little. “So am I,” he says, turning back to face Jongdae. “It’s not a good idea to go into the woods alone, especially in the dark. You said yourself that Kyungsoo and Baekhyun might’ve gotten lost - what good would it do them if you got lost, too? Or if you got hurt?”

Jongdae frowns at the ground. He hadn’t thought of that.

“This is one rule I’m not letting you break, okay?” Junmyeon says, softer. He tugs his hand out of Jongdae’s slack grip and links their fingers together instead, squeezing a little. “If we look together, and _stay_ together, we’ll find them.”

Walking through the woods in the dark with Junmyeon is not the most romantic thing in the world, unfortunately. It's still a little thrilling to be out in the woods when they're supposed to be in bed, though, and Jongdae knows there'll be hell to pay if they get caught, but he can't bring himself to turn back.

Plus, Junmyeon is still holding his hand, so it's not all bad.

"Do you know why Baekhyun and Kyungsoo went into the woods in the first place?" Junmyeon asks, breaking the silence between them. "Was there something they wanted to find, like a certain plant or tree or something? Might make it easier to find them."

"Oh, um." Jongdae worries his lip, not sure if he should mention the legend, but it's probably a good idea if it could help find them… "They're trying to find, uh. Mount Crescent. Have you heard of it?"

Junmyeon frowns. "I don't think so. Are there even any mountains around here?"

"It's magic," Jongdae says, cringing at how lame it sounds. "There's a legend about it, with these two, uh, lovers, who climb the mountain to be together…" He trails off, shaking his head. "Baekhyun wants to show Kyungsoo that it's real, and Kyungsoo wants to prove Baekhyun wrong, so they went to look for it."

"Right," Junmyeon hums. "Do you know more about the legend? It sounds interesting."

Jongdae takes a deep breath and relays the story that Jonghyun had told them at breakfast, as well as he can remember it. He stutters a few times, worrying that Junmyeon will think it's dumb or childish. When he finishes, he holds his breath, waiting for a reaction.

"Huh," Junmyeon says, after a moment, and turns to smile at Jongdae. "That's cute."

Jongdae has only a second to revel in the feeling of his heart melting before a branch suddenly snaps somewhere closeby. He jumps at the noise, bumping into Junmyeon's side. "Wh-what was that?"

Junmyeon grips his hand a little tighter. "I don't know, I think it came from over there." He shines his flashlight over the trees to their left, but there's nothing there. Jongdae glances around anxiously, trying to see _something_ in the dark between the trees - all he can think of is werewolves, and wow, is he ever going to throttle Baekhyun when they find him.

Another branch snaps, then another and another, and Junmyeon's grip is probably cutting off circulation to his hand but Jongdae is way more concerned about the possibility of getting eaten by a werewolf any moment now--

But a light flickers in the trees, and Jongdae falters.

"Is that a-- flashlight?" Junmyeon whispers.

"Werewolves don't need flashlights," Jongdae says without thinking. Luckily, he doesn't have time to deal with how stupid he sounded, because more branches crack and snap and then Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are stumbling out of the trees, looking tired and annoyed and very surprised when they notice Junmyeon and Jongdae.

The four of them stare at each other for one bewildered moment. Baekhyun has his cellphone in hand, the flashlight beam on the back illuminating the patch of grass between them.

"Jongdae?" Kyungsoo breaks the silence, squinting at them. "What are you guys doing?"

"Looking for you," Junmyeon answers for him, lowering his flashlight with a sigh.

Jongdae feels a little like he might collapse from relief. "We thought you might've gotten lost," he says, hoping it doesn't sound as weak as he feels.

"Well, we did," Kyungsoo says, with a short glare at Baekhyun, "so thanks. Do you know the way back?"

"I think I do," Junmyeon says, sweeping his flashlight across the trees again.

"We can find our own way," Baekhyun huffs, but his phone light takes that exact opportunity to flicker and shut off. "What-- _connect to power_? I had ten percent battery like five minutes ago--"

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and looks back at Junmyeon. "Lead the way."

Junmyeon nods and starts back the way they came. Jongdae slips his hand out of his grip to walk beside Baekhyun instead. "You okay? I thought you guys were trying to find Mount Crescent."

"We were," Baekhyun grumbles, still glaring at his phone. "I don't know why we didn't find it, maybe we're in the wrong part of the woods or something."

"Or maybe because it, I don't know, _doesn't exist_ ," Kyungsoo says over his shoulder.

Jongdae expects Baekhyun to sneer something back at him like he had been doing all day, but he just sighs instead, deflated completely. He's probably exhausted, though, Jongdae supposes. It must be close to three in the morning by now.

The rest of the walk back through the woods is quiet, and when the four of them emerge from the trees, Jongdae feels another flood of relief. Junmyeon walks with them back to their cabin, leading the way with the flashlight. Jongdae lets Baekhyun and Kyungsoo go in first, and then it's just him and Junmyeon on the doorstep - he wishes, somewhat childishly, that they were still holding hands.

"So, uh, thank you," he says quietly. "For coming with me to find them. I think I definitely would've gotten lost if I went alone."

Junmyeon shrugs it off with a smile. "I'd say 'anytime', but I think I've had enough of the woods for one night. But hey, at least there were no werewolves."

Jongdae immediately flushes red. He had really hoped Junmyeon hadn't heard him back in the woods - but Junmyeon is still smiling at him, so he must not think he's an idiot, right?

"Make sure those two stay inside until tomorrow, okay?" Junmyeon says, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. 

Jongdae manages to nod. If they pull this again, he's gonna leave them in the woods. "Sure thing."

Junmyeon smiles again and steps back. "Goodnight, Jongdae. Get some sleep."

"You, too," Jongdae calls after him, and watches him make his way to the next cabin over. He waits, one foot in the door, until Junmyeon has gone inside, then heads in himself.

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are already up in their beds and the room is quiet like it was before. Jongdae had thought they'd stay awake to bicker a little more, but apparently not. He slips off his shoes and heads back to his own bed just as Chanyeol stirs and sits up.

"Did you guys have a party without me?" he slurs sleepily.

Walking around in the woods was hardly a party, especially the part where Jongdae definitely thought he was going to die. "We would never," he assures him, and Chanyeol lies back down, satisfied.

\--

The next morning is a lot like the first, with sleepy subdued breakfast before a full morning of sectional workshops. Jongdae watches Junmyeon head off with the sopranos to the field outside the lodge before he follows the rest of the tenors inside to a practice room.

Jonghyun leads them through nearly their whole repertoire, and Jongdae yawns so many times it's almost embarrassing. He's worried someone will ask what he did the night before that left him so tired, but thankfully, no one does. Even Baekhyun, usually the insufferable morning person of their group, is quiet, but Jongdae chalks that up to him being tired for the same reasons as himself.

It's not until their sectional is over and they're heading outside that Baekhyun speaks up for the first time all morning. "Hey, do you think Kyungsoo likes me?"

It catches Jongdae off-guard. "Do I-- what?"

"I know we're-- or, I'm _pretty_ sure we're friends," Baekhyun goes on, "but sometimes, I…" He trails off with a frown, and Jongdae raises an eyebrow.

"Are you guys fighting?" He had no idea Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had even spoken this morning, but he supposes they don't need much time to find something to bicker about. "I mean, you fight all the time, but… are you _really_ fighting?"

Baekhyun shakes his head. "No, I just…" He flops down in the grass with a sigh, and Jongdae sits somewhat gingerly beside him. "Last night when we were looking for Mount Crescent… I really thought we were going to find it, but once we were out there for a while, it felt like we were just walking in circles." He leans back on his palms with a frown. "It's just... I know you're supposed to look with someone you're gonna fall in love with forever, which, okay, whatever. But I thought Kyungsoo at least felt--"

He cuts off suddenly, looking ahead of them. Jongdae follows his gaze and sees Kyungsoo and Chanyeol on their way over, with Jongin and Sehun in tow.

He turns back to Baekhyun, nudging him. "Felt what?"

"I don't know, something…" Baekhyun mumbles, then flops onto his back and rolls over. "Whatever, forget it."

Before Jongdae can press further, Chanyeol bounds over and collapses in the grass next to them. "Mmm, nap time."

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "Hey, get up. We have to go over to the barn. Mr. Lee says there's activities planned, or something."

Chanyeol rolls over to look up at him. "I thought the horses were on vacation?"

"They are. It's probably the same team-building stuff from last year." He nudges Chanyeol with his foot. "Come on, I'm not helping you up."

"What did you guys do last year?" Jongdae asks, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. 

"Improv games, trust falls, obstacle courses… things like that," Chanyeol explains. He flaps one hand in the air uselessly until Jongin comes over to pull him up. "I heard there's an archery range here somewhere, too. Maybe we'll get to use that!"

Baekhyun snorts and rolls onto his back again. "Even _I_ think that's a bad idea."

Kyungsoo laughs and holds out a hand to him. Baekhyun hesitates for a split second before taking it and letting Kyungsoo help him up, and they follow the rest of the choir over to the barn.

It turns out it's not archery after all - it's section-vs-section relay races and rhythm games, all of which are very noisy and very competitive. The altos end up winning both, but not without hard effort. The last round of Concentration 64 ends in a showdown between Chanyeol and Wendy, and Jongdae is pretty sure Chanyeol only loses because of Kyungsoo staring hard at him from across the room - or as he calls it, 'helping'.

After that, Mr Lee is adamant that they split into pairs for a massive three-legged race. Jongdae looks around for a partner, passing over Chanyeol because of his awkward height, and Jongin and Sehun for the same reason. Maybe Sunyoung, they're probably close to the same height--

His eyes catch on Junmyeon sitting off to the side, quietly watching everyone else. Jongdae hopes it's entertaining, at least, watching the whole choir goof off instead of sing, and by the time that thought has passed he's been staring again. He's about to turn away when Baekhyun comes up next to him and, as always, ruins it.

"Junmyeon, why don't you join us for this one?" Baekhyun calls to him, waving him over.

"Oh, uh," Junmyeon stutters, holding up a hand, "I don't know, I'm not really--"

"No, it's fine!" Baekhyun insists. "Here, you can partner with Jongdae!"

Jongdae wishes, for a moment, that he could disappear into the dirt floor. He glances up at Junmyeon with an apologetic expression ready - but then he sees Junmyeon's cautious smile as he comes over, and how eager he looks now that he's been invited to play, and Jongdae can't imagine telling him no.

All the pairs get handed out a length of rope and spread out across the barn to learn how to walk. Jongdae and Junmyeon head outside to the field and sit down to tie the rope on around each of their ankles, then pause to marvel as Minseok and Luhan walk by, tied together and already excellent at it. The sight of them sparks a determined look in Junmyeon's eye.

"Ready?" he asks Jongdae, already poised to push himself up.

Jongdae scrambles to get into the same position. "Uh, yeah."

"Okay. Three, two, one, go--" They both swing themselves upwards at the same time, but Jongdae loses his balance when Junmyeon touches his waist to steady himself, and when he leans too far over it pulls Junmyeon over with him. They end up back in the grass with the wind knocked out of them, but Junmyeon starts laughing as soon as he catches his breath.

"I guess it's harder than it looks," he says, sitting up to look at the knot. Jongdae sits up beside him and, trying to distract himself from the feeling of Junmyeon's leg against his own, notices the tiny space ships on Junmyeon's socks.

"Nice socks," he says absent-mindedly. Junmyeon immediately perks up, grinning as he rolls the hem of his pants up to better show the design.

"Thanks, they're my favourite ones." He taps one of the space ships. "Made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, you know."

Jongdae blinks a few times. "I'm sorry?"

"The Kessel Run," Junmyeon repeats, his eyes widening with concern. "The _Millennium Falcon_? Han Solo's ship? Oh my god, have you not seen Star Wars?"

Jongdae shakes his head helplessly. "They're sci-fi movies, right?"

"They're epic space opera movies," Junmyeon corrects him. "Star Wars is one of the biggest franchises on the planet! It spans generations, covers countless themes - destiny, family, love, just to name a few - and…" He trails off, deflating. "Sorry, that's… really nerdy, wow."

"No, it's cool!" Jongdae tells him. "It's interesting, really." He might not care much about Star Wars, but he sure does care about the way Junmyeon's eyes lit up while he talked about it.

Junmyeon smiles sheepishly. "I don't get to talk about this stuff very often. I guess I'm out of practice."

Jongdae frowns, turning that over in his mind. "You can talk about whatever you want."

Junmyeon laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just feel bad talking your ear off. Why don't you tell me about something _you_ like?"

"Um, okay," Jongdae says, and does his best not to lose focus when Junmyeon smiles at him. "I like… video games? And anime, I guess? Kyungsoo got me to watch _Prince of Tennis_ a while ago, it was really good."

"Oh, awesome!" Junmyeon crows, grinning excitedly now. "Sports anime are always great. What about mechas? Have you seen _Gundam Seed_? Or any Gundam series, really."

"Bits and pieces, I think," Jongdae hums. "That's the one with the giant robots, right?"

"To put it really simply, yeah," Junmyeon laughs. "But I guess they're the best part. I've built a bunch of models of them, and you really get to see how detailed each one is..."

As he goes on, Jongdae comes to the slow realization that Junmyeon is… a huge nerd. It tears down the original image of him that he held in his mind, where Junmyeon was cool, collected, and confident 24/7. But watching him stumble over his words in excitement, Jongdae decides that this Junmyeon, Real Junmyeon, is even better.

Besides, being on the retreat with just the cabins and the wilderness around them has a way of making real life, like school and cliques and student council, seem very far away… so maybe this is okay. Sitting beside Junmyeon with their legs tied together at the ankle, talking about anime mechas. Maybe this is as easy as it seems.

"Hey," Chanyeol interrupts, startling Jongdae out of his thoughts. He's appeared in front of them with Jongin in tow. "Have you guys been out here the whole time? You missed the race!"

" _What_?" Jongdae splutters, glancing at Junmyeon and finding the same expression of disbelief that he feels. Had they really been talking for that long?

Junmyeon looks down at his watch with a frown. "Wow, I didn't even notice. Woops."

"No worries," Chanyeol says with a shrug. "You guys just missed me n' Jongin's _stunning_ victory." He breaks into a grin and throws his arm around Jongin, who beams right back at him. "We kicked everyone's asses, it was great."

"Sorry we missed out," Junmyeon says with a smile.

Chanyeol ruffles Jongin's hair before letting him go. "Anyway, we're all heading to the lodge for dinner. We'll meet you there when you get… untied, I guess?"

Jongdae looks down at his ankle, still bound to Junmyeon's, and flushes. "Uh, yeah, see you there."

With a grin, Chanyeol saunters off, talking loudly to Jongin with his arm once again around his shoulders. Jongdae sits quietly with Junmyeon for another moment before clearing his throat.

"So, uh, we should--"

Junmyeon is already nodding. "Yeah, the rope is--"

They both reach for the rope at the same time, their hands bumping over the knot. Jongdae gulps, glancing up at Junmyeon, but Junmyeon just snickers.

"Let me do it," he says, quieter, and tugs the knot loose. When he moves his leg away, Jongdae misses the warmth for a moment before he gets himself together and stands up.

"I'm going to go give this back," Junmyeon says, folding the rope up in his hands. "You can head over to the lodge without me."

"Oh," Jongdae says. He wants to follow up, wants to say _that's okay, I'll wait_ or _hey, I'll go with you_ , but can't get the words out of his throat. Maybe it's for the best, though - Junmyeon probably wants a break from him, after all that. "Okay, I'll... see you there."

Junmyeon nods and starts toward the barn. Jongdae makes himself turn and head for the lodge instead of watching him leave.

\--

Chanyeol spends dinner with his arm around Jongin, recounting the story of their win to anyone who will listen. Jongdae has it memorizes after the fifth time, and so jumps at the opportunity to duck out of the dining hall with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo after hastily scraping his plate. The sun is just starting to go down, so the three of them decide to head back to their cabin, where the bug spray is.

"So," Baekhyun says, stretching his arms above his head as they head down the path. "Chanyeol and Jongin, huh?"

"What about them?" Jongdae asks.

"Oh, you know," Baekhyun says with a shrug. "Just the puppy dog eyes Jongin's been staring at Chanyeol with all day."

Kyungsoo snorts. "Not to mention how Chanyeol's been literally hanging off him."

Jongdae looks back and forth between them. "Are you guys joking, or…?"

"Not in the slightest," Kyungsoo says, sitting down on the front steps. "You were right across from them, didn't you notice?"

"It was worse after they won the three-legged race," Baekhyun snickers. "I thought they were gonna kiss, honestly. Hey, where were you during the race, anyway?"

Jongdae blushes a little. "Uh--"

"Wait, look," Kyungsoo cuts him off, pointing over to the lodge. Chanyeol and Jongin are just coming through the door, and no one else is around. Baekhyun gasps dramatically and pulls Jongdae down to crouch beside Kyungsoo while the other two start towards the cabins.

Chanyeol unwinds his arm from around Jongin's shoulders but stays close, and Jongdae is pretty sure he sees their hands brush as they walk side by side. The sun has set far enough that the three of them probably won't be seen, but they still all hold their breath when Jongin and Chanyeol reach the edge of the cabins. The one on the end is where Jongin is bunking with Sehun and Taemin, and it looks like Chanyeol is walking Jongin right to the door.

"Are we watching the end of a date right now?" Baekhyun whispers.

Kyungsoo shushes him, and they all watch with bated breath as Jongin pauses in the doorway, smiling up at Chanyeol. Chanyeol says something too quiet for them to hear but Jongin nods, murmurs something back, and Chanyeol steps a little closer like he's going to whisper something--

But the door frame creaks loudly where he leans on it, the sound startling them apart.

Jongdae lets out his breath. "Okay, so you weren't joking."

"Aw, look at them," Baekhyun coos as the other two give each other an awkward little wave. Jongin closes the door and Chanyeol heads back down the steps, running a hand through his hair. "So pure. This is great, I was starting to worry Chanyeol would be alone with his ferret forever."

Kyungsoo snorts, urging Baekhyun and Jongdae to stand up as Chanyeol gets closer. "Quick, try to look like we didn't just witness the start of something beautiful."

"Hey, Jongdae, good news," Baekhyun laughs, nudging him in the side. "If you and Junmyeon don't get around to finding Mount Crescent, it looks like there might be some other candidates if those two keep making eyes at each other."

Jongdae doesn't have time to do much more than blush and roll his eyes before Chanyeol gets close enough to greet them, and then the sun dips down behind the trees and the four of them finally head inside.

\--

Later, after Mr. Lee has announced lights out in fifteen minutes and then four of them are on their way back from the lodge bathrooms with freshly brushed teeth, Baekhyun squints into the dark as they approach their cabin.

"Do I even want to know what you're looking at?" Jongdae sighs, glancing warily at the trees only a few metres away.

"In this case, yes," Baekhyun answers, then grins at him. "Care to tell me why Junmyeon is waiting by our door?"

Sure enough, when they get to the front steps a second later, Junmyeon is there with his clipboard and a cautious smile.

"Hi," Jongdae says, hoping he sounds casual, and a little more desperately, that Junmyeon doesn't notice his Spiderman toothbrush. 

"What brings you to our doorstep?" Baekhyun asks, trying and failing to hide a smirk.

Junmyeon's smile falters a little. "I, uh, wanted to ask Jongdae something."

Jongdae can see the urge to tease practically written across Baekhyun's face, but by some miracle he decides to take pity on Jongdae for once, and only waggles his eyebrows at them before he heads inside the cabin with Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.

Once they're alone, Junmyeon turns to Jongdae, a real smile lighting up his face this time. "Nice toothbrush."

Jongdae pouts playfully at him and hides it behind his back, taking a half step towards the door. "If you're gonna make fun, I'm going inside."

Junmyeon laughs and reaches out to pull him back. "I'm not making fun of you! I think it's great, Spiderman is the best."

"Yeah, whatever," Jongdae sniffs, crossing his arms with an exaggerated frown - but he can't hold the expression for long, cracking into a smile before he can help it. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Right," Junmyeon says, and stands up a little straighter. "I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Uh, sure? What is it?"

"Well…" He holds up his clipboard and flips through a few pages. "Taeyeon left me all these questions and tables to fill out, and I don't really… know what to put for some of them." He looks up at Jongdae with a sheepish smile. "Do you have a few minutes to help me out?"

Jongdae agrees easily, and they both take a seat on the edge of the cabin porch. Junmyeon reads each question out to him and Jongdae does his best to answer, but some of them are tough even for him.

" _'On a scale of one to five, how accurate would you say your section's pronunciation and enunciation of consonants and vowels is, both stylistically and in terms of the piece's language?'_ " Junmyeon reads, a crease forming between his brows. " _'Do you find the tone quality elements--'_ Jeez, when did Taeyeon have time to write all this?"

"She takes her position very seriously," Jongdae sighs, rubbing his eyes. "You can say that we need work, I guess… unified vowels and word endings, making sure we all know how to pronounce _Shenandoah_ , things like that."

Junmyeon scribbles a few things down, then flips the page over. "Okay, last one: _'Tonal balance among and between sections'_?"

"Oh, say something like… we're all singing in the same colour," Jongdae tells him, and snickers at the raised eyebrow he gets in return. "It'll make sense to her, trust me."

With a shrug, Junmyeon fills out the last box and then flips all the way back to the first page, sighing in relief. "Done. I think I feel a hand cramp coming on."

Jongdae nudges him in the leg. "Aren't you gonna add it all up? What's our score?"

Junmyeon gives him a surprised look. "What? Oh, I gave you guys five out of five on everything already. I just wanted to hear your thoughts so I could sound like I sort of know what I'm talking about."

"Oh." Jongdae feels a blush creep up his neck. "That's… that's awesome, thank you."

"No problem. You guys deserve it," Junmyeon says with a shrug. "Watching all of you sing, even just in rehearsal, is so cool." He puts the clipboard down beside him and leans back on his palms. "I wanted to join, a few years ago, but I had too many other electives taking up my time. I used to really love singing when I was younger."

"Really?" Jongdae claps his hands. "Could you sing something right now?"

"Ahh, I don't know," Junmyeon sighs, but there's a smile playing around his mouth. "It's been a while…"

"Come on," Jongdae whines. "Please?" He turns his best pout on Junmyeon, immediately grinning when he holds his hands up in defeat.

"Okay, um…" Junmyeon goes quiet for a few seconds and Jongdae lets him, trying not to stare too hard at the side of his face.

Eventually Junmyeon takes a deep breath and… lets it out in a short, sweet melody, his voice curling around words Jongdae doesn't recognize but loves the sound of. The few short bars he sings send shivers up Jongdae's spine, striking him with how light yet strong his tone is.

He sounds like an angel, and when he stops singing, Jongdae is the one feeling out of breath.

"Wow," he says softly. "Your voice is so… _wow_. Did you take lessons?" Junmyeon shakes his head, a soft pink in his cheeks, and Jongdae loses his breath again. "You're amazing, seriously. I've never heard anyone sound like that."

Junmyeon waves him off, his face turning a shade darker. "Aw, you flatter me. I'm nowhere near as good as you."

It's Jongdae's turn to blush. "Well, if you were in choir, you'd be even better than me, probably."

Junmyeon laughs, shaking his head. "If I was in choir…" He trails off, then sighs. "I did really want to join. Watching you guys on this trip, I... I kind of regret it now."

"Just because you're not in choir doesn't mean you can't sing," Jongdae points out. "And your voice is… it's _really_ good."

Junmyeon leans back on his palms with a playful grin. "Well, if you're gonna compliment me so much, then maybe."

Laughing, Jongdae nudges their shoulders together. "Hey, if you want more compliments, you have to sing again."

"Fine," Junmyeon says, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly, but he smiles at Jongdae right after. "Just for you, though."

Jongdae flushes pink and ducks his head, studying the ground and hoping Junmyeon doesn't notice his embarrassing reaction.

There's a pause between them, broken by some loud laughter in the cabin across the path. When it goes quiet again, Jongdae realizes how dark and empty the rest of the grounds are, and how late it must be. "We should probably get inside."

"Right." Junmyeon stands up with him and walks him the three steps to his cabin door, smiling when Jongdae pauses in the doorway and faces him. Jongdae very suddenly remembers Chanyeol and Jongin's doorway encounter from earlier, but tries to push it out of his mind.

"Well, goodnight," he says quickly, part of him wanting to slam the door shut or maybe just scream - but another, louder part of him doesn't want to go inside at all.

"Goodnight, Jongdae," Junmyeon says, soft. "See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Jongdae agrees, and waits until Junmyeon is climbing the steps to his own cabin before he shuts the door. He pauses once he's inside, resting his head against the doorframe with a sigh. He could probably float away, he's so happy.

"So," Baekhyun speaks up from behind him, much louder than necessary. "How's loverboy?"

Jongdae rolls his eyes before he turns around. "Who?" he asks, feigning innocence as he heads to his bed. The lights are off and Kyungsoo and Chanyeol seem to be asleep already. They must've already had their nightly round of truth or slap.

"Um, our very own student council president?" Baekhyun says slowly. "The one you just had some quality alone time with?"

"Oh," Jongdae says, pulling his blankets back and sliding under them. "Yeah, he's doing fine."

Baekhyun flops dramatically over the side of his bunk, letting his arms dangle into Jongdae's space. "Give me the _deets_. What did you talk about?"

"Choir stuff," Jongdae answers truthfully. "I helped him go through all his notes for Taeyeon, he told me about how he wanted to be in choir when he was younger. That's it."

"That's boring as hell," Baekhyun says bluntly. "Did you at least invite him on a late night woods-walk?"

"No…?" Jongdae squints at the bottom of the bunk above him. "Was I supposed to?"

"Of course you were!" Baekhyun hollers. "It's part of the plan! The Get Junmyeon And Jongdae To The Top Of Mount Crescent plan!"

"Okay, stop," Kyungsoo says from his bunk across the room. "Listen. Baekhyun. Let's make a deal, here." He sits up on his elbows so they can see each other. "If you stop talking about the fucking mountain, I'll stop talking about how dumb it is. We'll agree to disagree and just… not speak of it around each other, okay? Deal?"

Baekhyun takes a second to respond. "Uh… sure, yeah. Deal."

"Thank christ," Kyungsoo sighs, and lies back down.

Baekhyun doesn't say anything else, but Jongdae hears his blankets shifting and assumes he's finally going to sleep too. He pulls his own blankets up and closes his eyes, letting his mind wander until it settles, inevitably, on Junmyeon's voice, and the way it sounded right next to him, the memory of it soft in his ears.

\--

At breakfast the next day, the four of them grab their usual table with Sehun and Jongin, the latter of whom is nodding off the moment they sit down. Jongdae sees Junmyeon entering on the other side of the room and starts to raise a hand to wave him over, but Jonghyun catches Junmyeon's eye first, and he sits down at a different table instead.

Jongdae lowers his hand with a frown. Beside him, Baekhyun takes one look at his expression and snorts into his orange juice.

"What," Jongdae huffs, glaring at him.

"Nothing," Baekhyun says, putting his glass down to hold up his hands in defense. Jongdae squints at him for a long moment before going back to his toast. As soon as Jongdae's eyes are off him, Baekhyun leans back in his chair with a sigh. "No need to tear my head off. I was just thinking about how close you two were getting last night."

Two chairs over, Sehun chokes on his bagel, startling Jongin awake. "They _what_?"

"Jongdae here had some _alone time_ with Junmyeon on the porch just before lights out," Baekhyun explains, examining his nails nonchalantly but clearly enjoying himself.

Sehun gapes at him, then looks to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo for confirmation. "Really?"

"As real as it gets," Chanyeol says with a nod. Kyungsoo hides a smile behind his juice glass.

Jongdae focuses on his toast, pretending not to hear any of them. As soon as they're back at school, he's got to find better friends.

"They had their heads together and everything. It was some _Can You Feel The Love Tonight_ shit," Baekhyun insists. "They were out there for like an hour."

"It was _not_ an hour," Jongdae pipes up, shooting a glare at Baekhyun, who grins back at him. "It was like, half of that, at most."

Sehun still gives him an awed look. Jongdae sighs. "Baek, we just talked. Seriously."

"I know," Baekhyun says innocently. "It's not my fault that other people are becoming invested in the potential chemistry between you two. You know, I'm not the only one who thinks you guys would be perfect candidates for finding Mount--"

Kyungsoo clears his throat loudly, giving him a hard look. The grin fades off Baekhyun's face, and he sighs before looking back at Jongdae with a tight smile.

"Nevermind," he says, like it's painful.

Kyungsoo gives a satisfied nod and goes back to his cereal.

The rest of breakfast passes without incident, and then it's vocal workshop time. The tenor and bass sections take the outside field while the sopranos and altos stay inside, and Jonghyun faces off against Kibum in rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to lead the boys' warm-up. Kibum wins easily.

Their pieces are really coming together now - even just hearing their two sections together sends some shivers up Jongdae's spine. It's still tiring, though, and when Kibum ends the workshop after a couple hours, Jongdae collapses in the grass with Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Kyungsoo sits quietly beside them and pulls out a book.

Jongdae is content to stare up at the sky for the rest of the morning, but he spots Junmyeon coming out of the lodge with the altos and, on impulse, tries again to wave him over. To his surprise, Junmyeon waves back, and changes direction to head over to them.

"You guys are so loud," he says, sitting down beside Jongdae. "I was with the girls up on the second floor, and we could hear you the whole time."

"Were we on pitch, at least?" Chanyeol asks, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"If you weren't, I couldn't tell," Junmyeon laughs. "You sound great, all of you."

On his other side, Baekhyun preens, stretching himself out into some strange imitation of a seductive pose. "Don't we just?" he sighs dreamily. "Especially those tenors, am I right?"

Jongdae rolls his eyes, but still feels a rush of pride when Junmyeon nods enthusiastically.

"Hey, now," Chanyeol says with an exaggerated frown. "Didn't Taeyeon tell you not to play favourites?"

"Actually, I don't think that was on the list of things to do that she sent me," Junmyeon muses. "Granted, there were like, a thousand things on it, so I could've missed it."

"Did she really send you a list?" Jongdae asks.

"Yeah, the night before we left," Junmyeon says, grimacing for a second. "But it's not a big deal. She just wanted to make sure you guys were okay without her. I'm really honoured that she asked me to go in her place, to be honest."

"And we're all happy you're here," Chanyeol tells him, but he looks a little uncertain. "You're, like, having fun, right?"

"Of course," Junmyeon gushes. "It's really cool to watch you guys work, and like I said, you sound _awesome_. Plus, it's so beautiful here - have you guys read anything about the forest? Or the local folklore?"

"Uh." Baekhyun glances quickly at Kyungsoo. "Well. Jonghyun told us about one, but..."

"Ah, yes," Junmyeon says, clapping his hands together. "The Mount Crescent legend, right?"

Kyungsoo snaps his book shut, staring at the grass in front of him instead. Baekhyun gives him another wary look. "Yeah, that one." He hesitates for a moment, then looks back at Junmyeon. "So, uh. What do you think of it? The legend, I mean?"

As small as Jongdae's desire to hear any more about the mountain is, he can't help but zone in when Junmyeon's face lights up. "I think it's cool. I've kind of been thinking about it ever since Jongdae told me the story," he admits, smiling sheepishly. Jongdae feels his face heating up and three pairs of eyes on him, but refuses to look away from Junmyeon.

"The love story is sweet, the moon and stars imagery is awesome," Junmyeon goes on, "and, just. To think that Mount Crescent is out there waiting to be found?" He shakes his head, awed. " _The_ coolest."

"Wait," Jongdae says slowly. "You really believe it's out there?"

Junmyeon frowns at him. "Yeah, don't you?"

"Well, I mean, I--"

He's cut off by Baekhyun sniffling loudly, looking legitimately close to tears as he gives Kyungsoo a beaming smile.

"The deal's off," Baekhyun says, like it's a miracle, and throws his arms around Junmyeon.

Kyungsoo sighs. "Junmyeon, you're the worst. We _just_ agreed to disagree, and you come in here and destroy our truce."

Junmyeon frowns, trying to extricate himself from Baekhyun's grip. "I'm... sorry, I think?"

"Who cares," Baekhyun says, rolling off him to lie in the grass with his chin propped up in his palms. "Talk magic mountain conspiracies to me."

Luckily, Amber chooses that moment to call them all inside for lunch, and Baekhyun is forced to get to his feet with the rest of them, pouting. "This isn't over," he says seriously, making an _I'm watching you_ motion with his hand until Chanyeol prods him in the back to make him move.

Jongdae snorts and goes to follow him, but Junmyeon catches his wrist and makes him pause.

"Hey, uh, I just wanted to ask - Mr Lee wanted me to set up this scavenger hunt for you guys," he explains. "Would you be willing to help me? I have snacks."

"Sure," Jongdae agrees, surprised but pleased that Junmyeon thought of him. "What do we need to do?"

"I have all the things to hide waiting in my cabin," Junmyeon says, beckoning for him to follow. "Mr Lee gave me a map of the ranch grounds and marked where to put them all, so we just have to follow that. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Jongdae says with a grin.

True to his word, Junmyeon emerges from his cabin with granola bars and fruit strips, and the two of them wander around the ranch together hiding various things - a conductor's baton, a clarinet reed, a kazoo, not to mention a few music puns printed on nice paper and tied up with ribbon. It doesn't take long for them to end up at the end of the hunt's course, outside the barn. Junmyeon pockets all their snack wrappers and flops down in the grass.

"Are we the finish line, then?" Jongdae jokes, sitting beside him.

"Guess so," Junmyeon says, leaning back on one hand and shading his eyes with the other. "It's so beautiful here. I swear, the sun doesn't shine this bright at home."

"I think there's just so much else going on that no one notices," Jongdae hums. "Out here, there's no distractions."

"That's true," Junmyeon says, then sighs. "It's been nice having time away from… real life."

Jongdae frowns a little. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, nothing, it's just…" Junmyeon trails off for a moment, then seems to reconsider. "Being out here with all the trees and sunlight, there's no stress, no responsibilities, you know? I mean, I'm sure I'll be happy to get back to the grind when we leave, but for now it's… nice."

"Well, what kind of grind do you have waiting for you?" Jongdae asks.

"Student council catch-up, for one," Junmyeon hums. "Extra swim team practice, rescheduled tutoring sessions… there's a fundraiser coming up that needs posters printed, plus Taeyeon will want to debrief me, and _then_ there's homework catch-up, and--"

"Okay, whoa," Jongdae says, holding up his hands in surrender. It sounds like more than he's done in his entire school career. Why in the world did Junmyeon agree to come on the retreat if it meant leaving that much work behind? "Your schedule must be jam-packed. How do you find time for all that?"

"I make time," Junmyeon says immediately, but he winces right after like he hadn't really meant to say it. "Sorry, that's what my dad always says. _'Make time for success'_ , or something."

Jongdae furrows his brow. "Well, you have to make time for fun stuff too, right?"

"Right," Junmyeon laughs. "It's just… hard to make him see it that way, I guess. I don't regret joining student council or the swim team or any of it, but… it would be nice to have time to, like, make friends."

"I thought you had tons of friends!" Jongdae exclaims, then immediately regrets it and covers his mouth. "Sorry, that was rude, I meant-- you're always talking to someone or with a group of people, I just thought--"

"It's okay," Junmyeon says with a little smile. "I guess I exaggerated. I do have friends, I know a lot of people at school, but I'm… I'm not _close_ with many of them, you know? It's like I don't have enough time to really get to know anyone, even if I wanted to." He looks down at the grass between them. "Like you, for example."

Jongdae's heart skips. "Me?"

"I heard you sing, once," Junmyeon says softly, "last year, at the school assembly right before winter break. The choir came out to do a few songs, and you had a solo in one of them. I remember thinking… _'wow, he's amazing.'_. I wanted to get to know you. But I never had time."

Jongdae is sure his ears must be giving off steam, his face feels so red. "I thought you had no idea who I was," he admits quietly.

"Well, I do now, and I'm grateful." Junmyeon smiles at him, covering Jongdae's hand with his own. "Being out here, I feel like I can breathe for once. I don't know how I'll ever thank Taeyeon for asking me to come on this trip."

_Neither do I_ , Jongdae wants to say, but he bites his tongue before he can embarrass himself. A week ago Junmyeon barely felt approachable, let alone like someone he could sit in the grass and talk with all afternoon. What if it all goes back to normal once they leave the ranch? "What about when we're back? Are you sure you can just pick everything up again?"

"I'm not," Junmyeon admits. "I mean, I'll try, but…" He slides his fingers between Jongdae's, linking their knuckles together. "These last few days have changed my perspective on a few things, that's for sure."

"Like what?" Jongdae asks softly, unable to help himself. He's definitely staring but Junmyeon is looking right back, still smiling at him. His hand is warm where it's touching Jongdae's and he's leaning a little closer. Jongdae's heart is going to punch its way out of his chest but Junmyeon's face is so close--

The barn doors slam open, startling them apart. Jongdae whirls around and is greeted by the sight of Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, bickering with their hands full of scavenger hunt findings.

"Here," Kyungsoo says, cutting off whatever Baekhyun is in the middle of saying and dropping everything on the ground in front of Jongdae. "We found everything. Do we win?"

"Uh, yeah," Junmyeon says, sounding a little dazed. He shakes his head as he digs around in his pockets and pulls out a metallic slip of paper. "Give this to Mr Lee."

"A golden ticket?" Baekhyun scoffs, dropping his armful as well and tossing the kazoo on top. "What's the real prize?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me,"Junmyeon says apologetically. Kyungsoo starts off towards the lodge without waiting for Baekhyun, leaving him to catch up, and they start arguing again only a few feet away.

Jongdae watches them go with a frown. Something's off with the two of them. The arguing is nothing new, it's almost weird when they're _not_ , but this feels different, like they're fighting with more than just words.

"Are they doing okay?" Junmyeon asks, a concerned look on his face.

Jongdae thinks back to what Baekhyun had asked him the day before - _Do you think Kyungsoo likes me?_ "I hope so."

They decide to head to the lodge after that, no reason to stay once the scavenger hunt is officially over. Jongdae tries his best not to think about what could've happened had they not been interrupted, keeping his mind focused on their small talk as they walk back and not at all on how cold his hand feels without Junmyeon's touching it.

\--

At dinner, it becomes immediately clear that Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are not doing okay. Even after their shared victory, things between them seem more stressed than ever, to the point where they sit on opposite ends of the table instead of their usual side by side arrangement, and yet still manage to argue all the way through the meal.

"They were like this the whole afternoon," Chanyeol whispers to Jongdae when they're headed back to the cabin, trailing behind Baekhyun and Kyungsoo as they bicker loudly. "I don't know how they managed to finish at all, let alone come in first place."

Jongdae has no idea either. The two of them aren't even fighting about anything important anymore, just disagreeing loudly about seemingly everything they have differing opinions on, from Kirk VS. Spock to which season of The X-Files is the best.

It takes until they're on their way inside after getting ready for bed at the lodge for them to come back around to the thing that got them arguing in the first place - Mount Crescent.

"It doesn't exist," Kyungsoo insists, throwing his hands up. "It _can't_ exist, it's impossible."

" _You're_ impossible," Baekhyun huffs back at him. "Why are you so adamant about this?"

"You're the one who's refusing to listen! It makes no sense!"

"People have seen it! Real people have been up the mountain and still, you're refusing to even _consider_ that it might be out there--"

Kyungsoo stops suddenly on the path, glaring at him. "You want to talk eye-witnesses? Fine." He marches up to one of the cabins and knocks on the door, the other three following confusedly behind.

Jongdae glances down the row at the other cabins. This one isn't theirs, or Junmyeon's, or Jongin and Sehun's, so it must be--

"Um, hey," Yixing greets them as he opens the door, eyebrows raised. "You guys need, like, a cup of sugar, or something?"

"Are Minseok and Luhan here?" Kyungsoo asks. Yixing nods slowly and pulls the door open wider to let them inside.

Minseok is lying on one of the beds with Luhan when they enter, but he sits up upon hearing four pairs of feet come into the room. Luhan joins him upright a second later, looking confused.

Seven people in one tiny cabin ends up making things a little cramped. Yixing takes one look at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun's matching fuming expressions and ducks outside, mumbling something about bedtime snacks.

"Sorry to barge in like this," Jongdae says, after a second of awkward silence.

"We're just here following Kyungsoo," Chanyeol adds.

"It's fine," Minseok says, sharing a glance with Luhan before addressing Kyungsoo. "Can we help you out with something?"

"I need you to settle a debate," Kyungsoo says, tugging Baekhyun forward. "Is Mount Crescent real?"

"Oh, come on," Baekhyun huffs. "Are you serious? You can't take my word for it so you're asking them?"

"Got any better ideas?" Kyungsoo grits out, brow furrows. "Jonghyun said they found the mountain last year." He looks back at Minseok. "Is it true?"

There's another pause, during which Minseok frowns, lifting his hands like he's weighing each answer. "Well… yes and no."

Kyungsoo furrows his brow a little further. "What."

"Yes, we snuck out and climbed a hill in the middle of the woods," Luhan jumps in, "and we watched the sunrise and I said _'Minseok, will you date me'_ and then we made out--"

"But," Minseok cuts him off, raising his hand, "I don't know if I'd call it 'magical', per se."

It's Baekhyun's turn to look confused. "What?"

"It's just-- nothing _magical_ happened while we were up there," Luhan shrugs. "It was a nice spot to confess, though - and that didn't go too badly, did it?" He winds his arm around Minseok's waist with a grin.

"So there," Kyungsoo mutters to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun frowns and turns back to Minseok. "But it's true that no one else found Mount Crescent afterwards, right? You guys were the only ones?"

"We were," Minseok admits. "The woods are pretty deep, though. It could be that no one else looked in the right spot, or--"

But Baekhyun isn't listening anymore, already grinning triumphantly at Kyungsoo. "So _there_."

Kyungsoo scowls, taking a threatening step towards him, but Chanyeol ushers both of them out of the cabin before they can start to fight again.

Jongdae hangs back, giving Minseok and Luhan an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. Those two are just… really intense about this."

To his surprise, though, Minseok smiles at him. "Don't worry about it. It's nice that you guys, you know, asked."

"Most people just hear the legend and the rumours and never bother to find out what really happened," Luhan explains. 

Jongdae nods slowly. "But you guys did find Mount Crescent, right?"

"I guess we did," Luhan sighs, leaning forward a little. "But you have to understand, it's… it's not really something you can head out expecting to find. One minute you're wandering, and the next the path just… appears under your feet." He shares a look with Minseok, trying to find the right words. "We ended up at the top more by accident than anything. I'd known my feelings for a while, but confessing them was spur-of-the-moment."

Minseok smiles again, reaching out to cover Luhan's hand with his own. "The legend is cute, and the yearly tradition keeps things interesting," he says, looking back at Jongdae, "but the most important thing to remember is… it's not the mountain that makes you fall in love."

Jongdae hopes he doesn't look too confused when he leaves. He walks slowly back to his cabin, turning their words over in his mind. The whole deal with the mountain certainly seems unrealistic, but so many people believe in it, or at least what it seems to represent - what had Jonghyun said about it? A journey through hardship for true love?

Kyungsoo would say it's just mob mentality or mass hysteria or something, and a few days ago Jongdae would've agreed with him, but…

He bites his lip. What if Mount Crescent really is out there in the woods? Waiting to be happened upon? What if it’s--

His thoughts are cut short when he very nearly walks face-first into someone blocking his path. "Whoa, sorry about that," he starts, shaking himself a little and offering an apologetic smile - but when he glances up, it's Junmyeon looking back down at him.

"It's okay," Junmyeon says with a grin. "I was looking for you anyway."

Jongdae can't help smiling back, even as his heart pounds in his chest. "Oh, did you need something?"

Junmyeon shakes his head, turning around to walk with Jongdae the rest of the way to his cabin. "I just wanted to thank you for your help earlier, with the scavenger hunt."

"No worries," Jongdae says, pushing away thoughts of how Junmyeon had looked while leaning in. "It was fun, being behind the scenes. I'm happy you asked me to help."

"I'm happy you agreed," Junmyeon says, following him up the front steps. They both pause by the door, as has become routine. "Well, anyway. That's all I wanted to say. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Jongdae says, reaching for the doorknob, but it turns before he touches it and Baekhyun wrenches the door open.

"Junmyeon," he greets, trying for casual but speaking too loud, as usual. "How would you like to join us for a friendly round of truth or slap real quick?"

Jongdae feels a vague sense of foreboding. "Okay," Junmyeon says with a smile, and follows him inside.

He sits on the floor beside Jongdae, listening eagerly while Chanyeol explains the rules. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo seem to have cooled off enough to team up for this, Jongdae notes miserably, watching them both try to hide the smirks on their faces.

"I'll go first," Baekhyun announces. He looks slowly around at everyone as if he's having a hard time choosing, but his intended victim is obvious. "Junmyeon. Truth or slap?"

Junmyeon, ever the good sport, beams at him. "Truth."

"Hmm." Baekhyun draws it out, playing it up but tapping his chin before he snaps his fingers like he's had an epiphany. "Are you crushing on anyone right now?"

Jongdae is caught between wanting to die and wanting to hear Junmyeon's answers. The latter wins out.

"Um, yes," Junmyeon says carefully, like he's worried he's not playing the game properly, but the others _oooh_ enthusiastically and make him grin. He chooses truth again when Kyungsoo picks him on his turn.

"Is the person you're crushing on… on this trip?"

"Yes, Junmyeon answers, a little flushed this time.

Jongdae catches Baekhyun's eye and glares hard. "Baekhyun. Truth or slap."

"Slap," Baekhyun says easily, holding out his arm with a grin. Jongdae hits him as hard as he can, just to wipe it off his face.

"Junmyeon," Chanyeol says, pointing at him from across the circle. "Truth or slap?"

Junmyeon grimaces at the red mark blooming on Baekhyun's forearm. "Truth."

He's in safe waters with Chanyeol, Jongdae tells himself, calming down a little. Chanyeol wouldn't betray him.

"What section is your crush in?" Chanyeol asks, waggling his eyebrows. Jongdae puts his face in his hands.

He hears Junmyeon laugh nervously. "Hey, I thought these were supposed to be yes or no answers! Are you guys trying to cheat?"

"Yeah, Chanyeol," Baekhyun says, gasping like he's truly offended even though the whole thing was most definitely his idea. "It's his first game, be nice!"

"It's my turn now, right?" Junmyeon asks, and at Baekhyun's enthusiastic nod, he looks around the circle. "Hmm. Jongdae, truth or slap?"

As much as Jongdae wants the game to be over as soon as possible, he can't help but indulge the excited, mischievous look on Junmyeon's face. "Um. Truth."

"Were you really interested in what I said about Star Wars yesterday?" Junmyeon asks, squinting at him. "Be honest."

"Of course I was," Jongdae says, breathing a mental sigh of relief. "I wouldn't lie about that."

Junmyeon grins at him, seemingly satisfied, then looks around at the others. "That was fun."

"Sure was," Baekhyun says, looking back and forth between him and Jongdae, probably trying to make sense of why Star Wars was brought up. Jongdae isn't going to give him any help with that one.

"Well, we'd all better get to bed. Thanks for letting me join you," Junmyeon says as he stands up. He pauses by the door to smile at Jongdae. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Jongdae says back, a little dazed, and watches as he slips out and shuts the door quietly.

Baekhyun immediately punches Jongdae in the arm. "Dude! He's so into you!"

"Ow," Jongdae replies.

Baekhyun looks ready to scream about it for the rest of the night, but Kyungsoo peels over the edge of his bunk with a frown. "Hey, quiet down, okay? We're supposed to be asleep."

He and Baekhyun glance at each other but look away almost as soon as their eyes meet. Jongdae is a little shocked when Baekhyun turns out the lights and clambers up to his own bunk without complaint. He's not sure if he prefers this weird quiet between them, or the yelling from earlier… but probably this, because like Kyungsoo said, it's bed time.

Besides, his mind can't focus on those two for very long, not when he has brand new information to ponder - Junmyeon has a _crush_. He knows he shouldn't get his hopes up but it's been a long day, and he lets his mind run away with the thought for a few minutes. He rolls over and hides a smile in his pillow as he drifts off.

\--

Their final day at the ranch is almost entirely taken up by rehearsals, the whole choir gathered together in the empty dining hall to run through their entire retreat repertoire. Jongdae is a little amazed at how their pieces sound with all four sections put together, rather than the disconnected way they've been practicing them. Mr Lee makes a few corrections but seems impressed, for the most part.

The only downside is that there isn't much time to relax until after lunch, and even then they have to load all their music stands and keyboards back onto the bus before Mr Lee lets them take a real break. It ends up worth it, though, when he shows them the lake behind the lodge and tells them to take the afternoon off.

"We'll head back to the real world tomorrow," he says sagely, "but for now, take some time to be proud of yourselves. You've all worked hard."

Everyone cheers and starts to head back to the cabins, chattering excitedly about swimming. Jongdae takes one look at the water reflecting the clouds overhead and decides it's not quite worth the risk of catching a cold - maybe he can just sit on the dock, or something.

He follows the others down the path, unhurried. There's a few others hanging back as well - some of the girls who are more keen on relaxing in the grass than jumping in the lake, and Jongin, who looks, as always, ready for a nap. Jongdae had noticed him yawning all morning, and had tried to hide his smile when Chanyeol had offered his shoulder for Jongin to lean on. Now, watching as Jongin trails a little behind Taemin and Sehun, Jongdae can't help grinning when Chanyeol comes up beside him and wraps his arm around Jongin's waist.

There's no awkward goodbye between them when they get to the front door this time; Jongin smiles sleepily and tugs Chanyeol inside, and Jongdae resists the urge to punch the air in triumph. He makes a mental note to tell Baekhyun and Kyungsoo about this new development, but when he glances around for them, they're nowhere to be seen. Maybe they've already gotten changed and headed back to the lake.

Halfway down the path, Junmyeon appears and catches Jongdae's arm with a grin. "Hey, are you going swimming?"

Jongdae smiles sheepishly. "I was going to grab a sweater, actually. Are you?"

Junmyeon laughs, shaking his head. "I'm in the same boat as you. I think Minho is gonna start a bonfire on the shore, though. Do you want to head down there with me?"

"Sure," Jongdae says, hoping his heart palpitations aren't as audible as they seem. "Just let me get changed, and we'll go."

"Of course," Junmyeon says with a nod, and falls into step beside him. "Nice way to end the trip, huh? Do you think Mr Lee planned this from the beginning?"

"Oh, probably," Jongdae snickers as he climbs the front steps to his cabin. "He says it's a reward for hard work, but maybe he just wants to go swimming, too--"

He pauses with his hand on the doorknob when he hears voices inside, filtering out from the open window.

"Hey, what's going on with you?" It's Kyungsoo, sounding… concerned?

A little quieter, he hears Baekhyun huff out a breath. "Nothing."

Beside him, Junmyeon raises an eyebrow. Jongdae puts a finger to his lips and inches closer to the window, curiosity winning out.

"Don't lie to me," Kyungsoo is saying, annoyed now. "You've been acting weird around me. Is this still because of the dumb mountain?"

"That's part of it, I guess, but--" Baekhyun cuts off with a sigh. "It's whatever, who cares."

Jongdae can picture Kyungsoo pinching the bridge of his nose. "Baek-- I care, okay? I want to know what I did wrong."

"What _you_ \--?" Baekhyun sounds genuinely confused. "You didn't do anything! It wasn't you, okay, it was me. I thought that we--"

He cuts himself off, and there's a long pause before Kyungsoo speaks up again, quieter. "Thought that we what?"

"People can only find Mount Crescent if they search with someone they care about. I thought that we would find it that first night, but we didn't, so that means…"

"You think that means I don't care about you? Because we got lost in the woods?" Another long pause. "Are you an idiot?"

Baekhyun splutters for a second, but Kyungsoo keeps talking. "Honestly, Baekhyun." The wooden floor creaks a little. "You don't need to find the dumb mountain to make me like you."

There's another long silence, broken by some soft, breathy noises that Jongdae belatedly realizes are the sounds of his friends kissing.

He and Junmyeon seem to come to the conclusion at the same time, and both jerk away from the window to trip their way back down the front steps. They stop in the middle of the path, well away from the cabin window, to catch their breath. Jongdae sneaks a glance at Junmyeon and finds his cheeks flushed pink, probably the same colour his own face is.

After a moment, Junmyeon clears his throat. "I, uh. I probably have a sweater you can borrow, if you want."

Jongdae nods and hurries after him towards his cabin. He'll have to tell Kyungsoo and Baekhyun about Chanyeol later, then. Much, much later.

\--

It takes some time to get the bonfire to a decent size, but once the sun goes down, nearly everyone crowds around it, seeking out the light and warmth. They're left mostly to their own devices since it's their last night, and the regular lights out time comes and goes without much notice.

A while past midnight, Kibum breaks out a flashlight and declares it time to tell ghost stories. "It's tradition," he insists, sticking his tongue out when Jonghyun tries to shut him down. "If anyone wants to skip out, now's the time."

Jonghyun gives Yerim a meaningful look, but she rolls her eyes and snatches the flashlight. "I'll go first," she says with a smile, only slightly manic-looking in the firelight.

Junmyeon nudges Jongdae then, having been sitting by his side since they first came down to the shore. He inclines his head towards the lodge, eyebrows raised, and Jongdae nods, getting to his feet - ghost stories aren't something he minds missing out on. They slip away from the group around the fire and climb the stairs back to the lodge, Yerim's voice getting further and further away until the fire is a matchlight on the shore and they can't hear anything but the wind rustling the trees around the lodge.

"Did you want to head off to bed?" Junmyeon asks. Jongdae shakes his head. It's later than he's stayed up for the whole trip so far, but he's somehow not tired yet. "Okay. Come on."

Junmyeon starts towards the trees, and Jongdae follows a little apprehensively. "Where are we going?"

"The woods," Junmyeon answers, glancing back at him. Jongdae can't quite make out his face in the dark, but he can tell he's smiling. "I won't tell if you don't?"

He holds out his hand, and Jongdae takes it without hesitation.

The woods are just as dark and dense as last time, but it feels different, somehow. Maybe because they're wandering aimlessly instead of searching for their friends, maybe because they already broke this rule once before - either way, Jongdae feels calm surrounded by the trees, and Junmyeon's palm is warm against his own. Besides, sneaking out together on the last night before heading home is just the kind of romantic thing that Jongdae had only ever daydreamed about before, and he's not about to give up a real life opportunity. And it _is_ sort of romantic this time, which is new.

"Are we headed anywhere in particular?" he asks after a while, mostly just to break the silence.

"Not really," Junmyeon replies, swinging their hands back and forth while they walk. "I just wanted to be away from everyone else for a while. Is that okay?"

"I don't mind," Jongdae says, smiling to himself.

"You know," Junmyeon starts, "I really meant what I said yesterday. About being grateful."

"Grateful for what?" Jongdae asks, stepping over a root lying across the path.

Junmyeon smiles at him, the lines of it barely visible. "Getting to know you. I've had a really good time on this trip, and a lot of it is thanks to you."

"But I didn't do anything," Jongdae splutters, glad that Junmyeon can't see him blushing in the dark. "I-I just answered Taeyeon's questions and helped with the scavenger hunt, I--"

"You went into the woods with me that first night," Junmyeon reminds him. "You made me feel like I belonged here, with all of you, not on the sidelines." He pauses to find footing where the ground gets steeper, then turns to help Jongdae up too. "And you helped me figure out some priorities."

"Ah, you mean for when we get back?" Jongdae asks. "Are you going to change your schedule?"

"I'm going to make more time for myself," Junmyeon says, then quieter, "and for you, if you want."

Jongdae feels a little like his legs are going to give out, and not just because of the incline. "For-- what?"

"I don't want to go back to school and never speak to you again," Junmyeon tells him, painfully honest. "I feel like I'm-- like I can be myself around you, entirely. I don't want to lose that again."

"You won't," Jongdae says, squeezing his hand. "I'll - I'll be here."

Junmyeon stops then, turning to face him with a soft smile. He opens his mouth to say something else but pauses, looking down. "You're still wearing my sweater," he says, surprised.

Jongdae laughs and looks down at himself. His eyes must've finally adjusted to the dark, because he can see the soft blue material a lot better than he could earlier - and come to think of it, he can see Junmyeon's smile clearly too, and the trees don't seem so dense. There's even a clearing ahead, and when he and Junmyeon walk into it, it takes a moment to register what exactly they've found.

It's not a clearing at all, but the crest of a hill with a small meadow ending in a grassy cliff. The sky is getting lighter, peeking over the tops of the tallest trees in the distance, and at the edge they can see the lake in the valley below and wisps of clouds hanging around from deeper nighttime.

Right above them, when Jongdae looks up, are two bright stars, still visible in the lightening sky beside the crescent moon.

Junmyeon lets go of his hand for a moment and then links their fingers tightly together instead. Jongdae looks at him and finds Junmyeon already looking back, beaming. "I told you it was out here," he whispers.

Jongdae looks back out over the valley, watching the sun climb its way up behind the trees. He wonders if now is the time to say something, to tell Junmyeon how long he's admired him and how he dreamt about this… but he decides against it. It seems unnecessary when Junmyeon is already right beside him.

Besides, the colours of sunrise and just starting to bloom across the sky, and he wouldn't want to interrupt.

They stand there for a long time, watching the sun come up. When the birds start chirping in the trees around them, Junmyeon gives Jongdae's hand a gentle tug, and they head back down together.

 

"Dude, you _had_ it," Baekhyun says mournfully the next morning, slumping into his seat on the bus. "You were right there! Why didn't you go for it?"

Jongda shrugs. "I don't know, it… didn't feel like I had to do anything."

"It _didn't feel like_ \-- I can't believe I'm hearing this," Baekhyun says, shaking his head. "It was Mount Crescent! Doing something is the whole point!"

"Believe me, I didn't expect this either, okay?" Jongdae sighs. "That's just the way it happened."

"Ugh, whatever," Baekhyun grumbles, waving his hand. "At least you found it. Now tell Kyungsoo it's real."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Kyungsoo deadpans, turning a page in his book.

Baekhyun pouts at him and takes in a deep breath to argue, but Kyungsoo shushes him before he even starts, placing a finger on his lips. "Shh. I'm trying to read," he says, then shifts over so he's leaning on Baekhyun's shoulder.

Baekhyun immediately deflates, looking torn between feeling annoyed or endeared. Behind them, Chanyeol and Jongin snicker to each other, but Baekhyun stays put, choosing to glare over his shoulder to the best of his ability without disturbing Kyungsoo.

Jongdae leaves them like that and heads back up the aisle before the bus starts to move, swinging himself into his seat beside Junmyeon.

"Hey," Junmyeon greets, tucking his clipboard under the seat and holding his hand out. "Ready to go home?"

"Now I am," Jongdae hums, sliding their fingers together, and the first rumble of the engine thrums through their joined hands as they settle in for the long ride back.


End file.
